5 Fun Facts About Dave Wakeling
You’ll love this ska legend more than ever after reading this.
Greetings Superstars!
It’s no secret that Legendary King of Ska Dave Wakeling is one of my favorite musicians, and I miss my old SoCal days when I could see him perform live anywhere from the Catamaran on Mission Bay to the Del Mar Racetrack. That’s why this week, I present to you five fun facts about Dave Wakeling, lead singer of The English Beat, General Public, and formerly of The Beat.
His hits have been on several major movie soundtracks, including Weird Science (1985), Grosse Point Break (1997), and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).
Wakeling is from Birmingham, England, where there was mass unemployment when he was a teen. He used his music to talk about the social impact that a bleak future had on his peers. To get people to pay attention to his messages, he made his songs fun to listen and dance to.
Wakeling’s trademark left-handed Vox teardrop guitar is displayed in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
A Vox Mark III teardrop guitar. Image from Scott Tsai. When The Beat—his first band—broke up, all of the bandmates remained friends and they agreed that all of the members own the band evenly. That’s why The Beat now mainly performs in Great Britain, while Wakeling’s version—The English Beat—performs in America.
He uses his voice to make people aware of environmental issues and has partnered with Greenpeace by doing fundraising concerts, and liaising between the organization and the music industry in the 1990s.
What a guy! Whether you’re a fan of New Ska or not, you have to admit that he seems like a standup person.
This week, I hope that you make a positive impact on someone’s life in some way—big or small. LMK what you do in the comments!
TTY! 💛